1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sliding roof device for vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a sliding roof device for vehicles of the type which includes a transparent sliding roof panel, and a sunshade adapted to shield rays of light transmitted from outside through the roof panel, as it is put in a close position thereof.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Among known sliding roof devices for vehicles, there have been proposed those which included, for purposes such as of ventilation of a passenger accommodating room, a tilt-up mechanism adapted to lift up the rear part of a sliding roof panel from a close position thereof to thereby bring the roof panel into a tilt-up position thereof.
Some of such sliding roof devices further included a sunshade provided under the sliding roof panel and adapted to be longitudinally slidable between a position thereof below the opened part of a roof and another position thereof below the rear part of the roof, so that, in the case where the roof panel was transparent, those rays of light transmitted through the panel when it is in the close position could be effectively shielded and, in the case where the roof panel was non-transparent, the lower surface of the panel might preferably be decorated.
Those sliding roof devices including the sunshade as well as the tilt-up mechanism had inherently involved problems such that, even when the sliding roof panel was tilted up from the close position, there could be exhibited no effects such as of ventilation if the sunshade was kept closed. Additionally, the open-close conditions of the roof panel could not be visually confirmed if the sunshade was closed, thus resulting in the possibility that the driver might well leave the vehicle with the roof panel left as it was in the tilt-up position, which leads to additional problems such as of the protection against theft or undesired intrusion of rain water.
The present invention has been achieved to effectively solve such problems of conventional sliding roof devices for vehicles of the type described.